


Mind, Body, and Soul

by BoredPerson69



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Adultery, Alcohol, Boys Kissing, Cheating, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Making Out, Religion, Slow Burn, Swearing, Tags to be added, mentions of a barely legal lover, non-skating au, rating will change as chapters are added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2018-11-07 11:22:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11057910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoredPerson69/pseuds/BoredPerson69
Summary: Homosexuality is wrong. It's a sin. That's what was ingrained in Yuuri Katsuki from a young age by his deeply religious parents. But Yuuri had a secret. Something that he wouldn't dare admit to anyone; including himself.So when Viktor Nikiforov arrives on the scene, an internal battle between what Yuuri was raised to believe his whole life, and his growing infatuation with the handsome Russian ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, instead of finishing up my college work, I decided to write a multi-chapter fic. Go priorities!

Yuuri Katsuki had been away from home for almost five years, and he was excited to see his family again. He had been away studying business management in Detroit, and had just stepped off the plane in San Francisco when he was greeted by a smiling, plump Asian woman.

“Welcome home, honey!” she beamed, wrapping her arms around her youngest child. “We’ve missed you so much.”

“Thanks mom,” Yuuri smiled returning the hug. “I’ve missed you all too.”

“Sorry we missed your graduation, Yuuri. But the business has kept us really busy.” She said fretfully.

“Don’t worry about it,” Yuuri replied as they walked towards the car. “I totally understand. You called in the morning, and that was just as good.”

“Your father is looking forward to seeing you again too.” Hiroko said proudly. “And Mari, but you know she’ll never admit it.”

Yuuri laughed. Of course he knew his sister cared about him deeply, but she was about as sentimental as a brick. It didn’t matter, he loved her all the same. He really couldn’t wait to see everyone again.

 

Yuuri was met by a loud cheer as he entered the house. All of his friends and family were stood in the living room; his dad, sister, his old school teacher Ms Okukawa (who was a childhood friend of his mother’s), their next door neighbour, Minami and his family, and his school friends Takeshi, Seung-gil, and Phichit.

They lived in a very East and Southeast Asian neighbourhood, and most of their friends and neighbours were either Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, or Korean. There was a great sense of community in their little suburban area, it seemed that everyone knew everyone else. It was almost like a little village of its own.

“Welcome home Yuuri!” Ms Okukawa beamed, giving him a squeeze. “I knew you’d do well.”

“Thanks Ms Okukawa,” Yuuri replied, blushing slightly. “I’ve missed everyone so much.”

“Yuuri, I told you to call me Minako!” his former teacher scolded playfully. “We’re practically family!”

“Yuuri!” shouted a voice over by the drinks table. Yuuri looked up to see his best friend Phichit beckoning to him with two drinks in his hand. He meandered over to his Thai friend and gratefully took the drink.

“Hey, guys. What’s new with you three?” Yuuri said, taking a sip of coke.

“Not much,” Takeshi shrugged. “My parents are talking about retiring at the end of the summer and leaving me in charge of the ice rink.”

“Woah, you never told me that!” Phichit exclaimed, eyes wide. “Why are you only telling us now?!”

“I’m not sure I want to be in charge of the business.” The stocky man mumbled. “I mean, it’s so much pressure, you know?”

“Why don’t you do a course on business management like I did?” Yuuri asked, leaning against the collapsible table.

Takeshi rubbed the back of his neck. “I dunno if I have the brains for that,” he laughed nervously. “Because, like, you’re super smart Yuuri. I’m sure college was a breeze for you. I don’t really have the money for that.”

“You could go to the local community college,” Seung-gil said in his bored monotone voice. “You could probably get a grant or a loan or something since it’s something you’re doing for your business.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Takeshi mumbled. “I’ll think about it, guys.”

The party wound down to a close around 11:30pm. After a five hour flight, and socialising for four hours, Yuuri was exhausted; he said his goodbyes to his friends and neighbours, and bid goodnight to his family. He needed to get some shut-eye if he were to be up at 8am to start work at nine.

 

Yuuri’s family owned a catering company that specialised in Japanese food. They were very popular around the San Francisco Bay area, considering they had the densest population of Japanese immigrants in the continental US, they were making a pretty good living with a four-star rating on Yelp catering for wedding, birthdays, funerals, and just about any other event one could think of.

Yuuri was up and out of bed by 8:15am the next morning. He figured he could go out to get some breakfast at the small café around the corner from the catering company’s kitchen and offices. It was a place he frequented often as a teenager, and the food was something he missed dearly when he was in Detroit.

The dark haired waitress took his order of bacon pancakes, and Yuuri blushed slightly when she gave him a wink from over by the cash register as she rung up his order.

The food was just as delicious as he remembered it being before he left San Francisco, and Yuuri would’ve licked his plate clean if he weren’t in public.

The waitress reappeared with his check, but as Yuuri reached into his pocket, he realised he made a terrible mistake… he’d left his wallet at home!

“Excuse me, miss.” He said as the waitress passed by. “I’m so sorry, this is so embarrassing. I’ve left my wallet at home.”

To Yuuri’s surprise, a red haired woman from the table behind him spoke up. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll cover you,” she said with a kind smile, and told the waitress to add his bill on to hers. “My name’s Mila.”

“Yuuri,” the Japanese man responded, giving a little bow.

“As in Yuuri Katsuki?” she asked. When Yuuri nodded, she pressed on. “Oh, I work at your parents catering company at the weekends. They never seem to shut up about you. Your mother has been talking about your return non-stop for the past two weeks. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was experiencing the resurrection of Christ. You seem to be the golden child.”

Yuuri blushed, and mumbled something that Mila couldn’t hear. “I’ll pay you back for the food.”

Mila licked her lips. “I’m sure we’ll find a way that will satisfy us both,” she purred as her eyes raked up and down Yuuri’s body.

Yuuri felt his face heat up more, before Mila changed the subject and invited Yuuri to come sit with her. They ordered some more food and got talking about inane things. Mila was surprisingly easy to talk to, Yuuri thought. He hadn’t realised how long they had been sitting until Hiroko came through the café door.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

“Eating breakfast?” Yuuri replied pointing to his empty plate.

“Breakfast?” Hiroko repeated. “It’s nearly lunch-time, you were meant to start at nine!”

“Oh, that might be my fault.” Mila said, giving Hiroko an apologetic smile.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” the elder Katsuki said, eyeing Mila distastefully. “Yuuri, do you realise how much work we’re behind on because you’re not there? Your father’s going to be there in fifteen minutes, and we’ve still to do the ordering, deliveries, and reply to email enquiries. And there’s a lot of washing-up needed to be done.”

“I’m so sorry, mom,” Yuuri said. “I completely lost track of time!”

Hiroko sighed and grabbed Yuuri’s jacket from the back of his seat. “Come on.” She said exasperatedly.

 

 

An hour later, Yuuri had his sleeves rolled up, and was cleaning out a large pot that his mother made Japanese-style curry in. His arms were getting tired, the pot hadn’t been soaked, and the curry sauce had dried to the sides making it difficult to clean properly.

“So, you were three hours late?” Toshiya asked as he chopped up vegetables.

“Yeah. Sorry, Dad,” Yuuri said. “I got talking to that Mila girl, and I guess my body clock’s still a bit wonky cos I lost track of time…”

“Don’t worry about it, son,” Toshiya chuckled. “I know how uptight your mother gets when it comes to the business. Just don’t make a habit of it, and there won’t be a problem.”

Yuuri nodded. Everyone in their family knew that although Hiroko was a sweet and kind woman, she can be quite strict when it came to the business. Mari joked it was because of her strict Catholic upbringing, and that she was surprised their mother didn’t become a nun due to her devout faith.

That was something she passed on to Yuuri. While all four Katsuki’s were religious, none more so that Hiroko and Yuuri. They attended Mass at least twice a week; always a Sunday, and alternating the evening service on a Wednesday or Thursday. It was unusual for Japanese people to be so religious, and the Katsuki’s were even more of an anomaly as they were part of the small portion of the Japanese population who didn’t follow the Shinto religion.

“Just put it over there, Viktor. Thank you.”

Yuuri was jostled out of his thoughts by the sound of his mother’s voice. He whipped his head up and noticed someone walking through the door to the kitchen, with two heavy looking boxes in their arms.

“Here, let me help you.” Yuuri offered, as he took the top box from the struggling man.

“Thank you,” the man said in relief as he placed his box where Hiroko pointed. He was a few inches taller than Yuuri, and was objectively very attractive. Piercing blue eyes, silver hair that swept to the side and over his left eye. And judging by how tight his t-shirt clung to him, he was very fit.

“I’m Yuuri,” the smaller man greeted, offering his hand to the man.

“Viktor,” he said, taking Yuuri’s hand in a very firm handshake.

“Manly shake you’ve got there,” Yuuri laughed, flexing his fingers after they’d let go.

Viktor’s face fell almost immediately. “Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked, eyes narrowing.

Yuuri was confused. “No reason…” he said, shrugging.

“What? Gay man, limp wrist? Is that what you’re saying?” Viktor said, folding his arms. His voice was harsh and accusatory.

“No! That’s not what I – ” Yuuri began, but Viktor had stormed away to joining Hiroko in the office before Yuuri could finish his sentence.

“What’s up with him?” Yuuri asked his father incredulously.

“I think he thinks you’re going to be just like your mother in regards to the whole homosexuality thing.” Toshiya explained.

“I wouldn’t… I mean… I don’t…” Yuuri stuttered. “Look, just because I don’t agree with it, doesn’t mean I’m going to preach at him at every chance I get. What he does in the privacy of his own bedroom is nothing to do with me. Just as long as I don’t have to see or hear about it.”

Toshiya nodded in agreement. “It’s not pretty, I agree with you. Viktor is a good employee and hard worker. It’s just a bit unfortunate that he chooses to live his life in sin. But judging is God’s job, not ours. Currently, our job is to finish cooking this food for the wedding reception tonight.”


	2. Chapter 2

It was Saturday morning, and Yuuri had been back in California for almost a week. It was his first day working with Mila, the beautiful girl from the café, and they were getting food ready for a christening later that day.

“Make sure you don’t burn them!” Yuuri laughed, throwing Mila a pair of cooking tongs to flip over the now-sizzling sashimi.

“I thought sashimi was supposed to be raw?” Mila complained as she threw away her failed attempt at cooking.

“Yes, but this is tataki sashimi,” Yuuri explained, rolling his eyes. “It’s a form of sashimi that needs to be very lightly seared on the outside, leaving it raw on the inside. How can you be working here and not know this?”

“I work weekends, and usually I just assist in the kitchen rather than actually cook,” the red haired Russian explained. “I don’t understand why a Christening reception wants Japanese food. What’s wrong with sandwiches and pizza rolls?”

“Because San Francisco has a very large Asian community, and a lot of people like Japanese food. Now be quiet and watch a master at work,” Yuuri winked.

“So, like, were you born in Japan?” Mila asked as she watched him cook. “Random question, I know. But like, my grandparents are from Russia, but I’ve never been, so I was wondering if you were in the same boat?”

Yuuri shook his head. “My dad was born and grew up there, as you could probably tell by his accent, and my mother’s parents moved over here a few years before she was born, so really I’m a second generation immigrant. So is my girlfriend. Her parents are from Tokyo, but she’s never even stepped foot on the island its on.”

“Ah, yes. This so-called girlfriend you keep going on about.” Mila replied, with a knowing look. “How come you only mentioned her when I asked you out?”

Yuuri sighed as he scooped the sashimi out of the pan, and pulled out his phone, flipping to a photo of him and a very pretty Japanese girl. “There.” He said, shoving the photo in front of Mila’s face. “That’s Yuuko and me when we took a trip to New York.”

Mila took the phone and gazed at the photo. It showed Yuuri and Yuuko standing in the Rockefeller Centre ice rink, surrounded by the Christmas lights. Yuuko was grinning at the camera and holding up a peace sign, while Yuuri was taking the selfie and had placed a kiss on Yuuko’s temple.

“That could be your cousin for all I know,” Mila said, handing Yuuri back the phone. “If she’s your girlfriend, why haven’t you told your mom about her?”

“Are you nuts?” Yuuri replied, eyes widening. “She’ll never think any woman is good enough for her little boy. I love my mom, but she can be quite over-protective when it comes to my dating life. And I really don’t want to scare Yuuko off. She’s amazing. She’s funny, smart, creative, beautiful, kind –”

“You make her sound like a shopping list,” Mila scoffed.

“Well, Yuuko makes me happy.” Yuuri said simply, returning his phone back to his pocket. “All we do is laugh when we’re together. I love her so much.”

“So, do you think she’s The One?” Mila asked, her expression softening slightly.

“Maybe,” Yuuri smiled. “I certainly hope so.”

“How happy do you think she’d be knowing that you’ve been spending so much time with another woman?” Mila purred, stroking the side of Yuuri’s face.

“My conscience is clear,” Yuuri smirked playfully, leaning into her touch.

“Busy are we?” said an unimpressed voice from the doorway.

Mila and Yuuri turned to see Hiroko standing with her arms crossed, looking at the pair sceptically.

Yuuri jumped back from the Russian beauty as though he had been burned, his face flushing, even though he knew he’d done nothing wrong; his mother had to come in as they were in the middle of a conversation that could easily be misinterpreted into something less innocent.

“Here, mom. Try this!” Yuuri said suddenly, taking a spoonful of soup from the pot on the hob and presenting it to Hiroko. “Careful, it’s a bit hot.”

The older woman blew on the spoon before swallowing the liquid. Her face turned from confusion to pleasantly surprised. “That is so good!” she smiled. “What have you done?”

“I added some crushed peanuts to give it a little bit extra flavour,” Yuuri explained. “You like it?”

Hiroko nodded and hummed in approval. “Such creativity,” she said, before adding in a loud voice; “You’ll make one lucky girl a good husband someday.”

Yuuri wasn’t stupid, he knew that little extra bit was to taunt Mila. Basically saying ‘ _you’re not good enough for my son, so don’t even try with him._ ’

 

Yuuri and Mila made the journey from the kitchens to a hotel function room in the centre of San Francisco to deliver the food for the Christening reception.

The pair had barely entered the function room when the food was nearly knocked flying from their hands as an irate blonde woman stormed passed them pushing a baby in a stroller.

“What was all that about?” Mila asked someone who was out of Yuuri’s line of vision.

“Don’t ask,” came a deep voice. “It’s just Lisa being Lisa.”

“So is it okay if we start setting up?” Yuuri asked, looking inside the function room and seeing who the voice belonged to. It was Gay Viktor. He was wearing a very expensive-looking navy suit that was perfectly tailored to his body.

“Yeah, uh… you couldn’t do me a missive favour, could you?” Viktor asked, pulling something out of his trouser pocket. “When you’re done setting up the food, do you mind giving Lisa’s brothers a hand in setting up these christening decorations?” Viktor held out his hand, offering Yuuri a fifty dollar bill.

“Put that away, it’s no bother,” Yuuri said, waving his hand dismissively at the money. “We’re on the same side, right?”

“Thank you,” Viktor sighed in relief. “I am so behind on everything, and it doesn’t help that I slept through my alarm this morning. I owe you one, Yuuri.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Yuuri smiled, placing the first tray of food down on the hotplate. “Like the bible says; ‘ _Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you._ ’ Matthew 5:42.”

“Right…” Viktor said with a raised eyebrow. “Well, I appreciate it all the same. I’m shaping up to be a fairly poor godfather if I can’t get Aimee’s christening reception up and ready on time… I’m running late, I need to be at the church in ten minutes. Uh, John and Ryan will be here soon to set up the decorations. Thanks again for your help, Yuuri.”

And with that, Viktor raced out of the function room, leaving Yuuri and Mila alone in the half-decorated room.

“That is a nice suit,” Yuuri commented staring after the silver-haired man. “There’s no way he can afford that based on what my parents pay him.”

“I think it was a present from his ex-boyfriend,” Mila said as she placed the food down on the hotplate. “Chris, I think his name was. He was a multi-millionaire who liked to spoil Viktor. Until it turned out that Chris was married and was cheating on his husband with poor Viktor.”

“Typical,” Yuuri sighed. “Why is it that homos are never faithful? They’re almost as bad as bisexuals. Bisexuals are just greedy. Pick a side already, y’know?”

“Hey, I’m bi!” Mila said scowling. “And I have never once cheated on any of my partners! Why are religious people so homophobic?”

“I’m not homophobic!” Yuuri argued, feeling quite insulted. “I just follow God’s laws. It’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, Mila. I hate the sin, not the sinner.”

Mila looked scandalised. “If I knew this is how you felt, I would never have asked you out.” She said angrily. “You know what Yuuri, you can finish this up by yourself! I’m too angry to even look at you!”

The Russian woman slammed the tray of food down on a nearby table and stormed off, grumbling to herself.

Yuuri let out an exasperated sigh. It was a bit of an overreaction on her part. Even if Yuuri was single, he wouldn’t have dated Mila if he knew she was bisexual. Chances are, she would have cheated on him once she realised Yuuri didn’t believe in sex before marriage anyway.

First Viktor, now Mila. Yuuri knew San Francisco had a large queer population, but in recent years, it just seemed like an epidemic. It was getting ridiculous. Yuuri set up the food and helped the two teenaged boys set up the decorations when they arrived.

Upon arriving back to the van, Mila didn’t even acknowledge Yuuri had returned. Instead, just continued to stare out the passenger window with a neutral expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it goes without sayin that these are not my views, it's just a story :3


	3. Chapter 3

Yuuri’s relationship with Mila didn’t improve over the next few weeks. If anything, it got more hostile. Especially when she “accidentally” let it slip that Yuuri was dating someone.

“We need to meet her!” Hiroko said, after badgering Yuuri about Yuuko for the millionth time. “I want to know the woman who’ll be bearing my grandchildren.”

Yuuri shuddered internally. “Mom, we’ve only been dating for seventeen months! We haven’t even discussed any of that stuff yet.”

“Seventeen months Yuuri! That’s over a year!” Hiroko said excitedly. “Your father and I were together ten months when he proposed!”

It seemed that Mila’s plan to strain Yuuri’s relationship with his mother backfired. She didn’t seem to be suspicious of Yuuko’s intentions at all. In fact, she seemed to be giddy at the prospect of having a daughter-in-law.

“You should invite her round for dinner!” Hiroko continued. “She lives in Detroit, right?”

“Yes, she lives in Detroit, mother.” Yuuri said wearily. “So it’s not like she can just hop on a bus…”

“But she can hop on a plane,” Hiroko’s face betrayed her.

“Mom… you didn’t..?” Yuuri implored with wide eyes.

“What?” Hiroko grinned. “I just got her number from your phone while you were in the shower and gave her a little call.”

This wasn’t happening. Yuuri wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow him whole.

“She arrives on Friday,” Yuuri’s mother finished, with a self-satisfied grin on her face.

Yuuri groaned and flopped onto the couch, burying his face in the cushions. This was going to be a nightmare.

 

Just as Hiroko said, Yuuko’s flight arrived Friday afternoon at the airport. She carried a bright pink suitcase, and had in her hand was a half-eaten apple.

“Yuuri!” she beamed when she spotted him standing beside his mother. “I can’t believe it’s only been a month since we’ve seen each other. It feels like a million years.”

“Hi, sweetheart,” Yuuri whispered, giving his girlfriend a peck on the cheek. “Did you have a good flight?”

“No, I was sat next to a man who snored the entire way,” Yuuko said, looking at the ground. “It was so frustrating… anyway, aren’t you going to introduce me to your mother?”

Hiroko took a step forward and gave Yuuko a slight bow in greeting. “I’m Yuuri’s mom, Hiroko. But I hope in time you’ll call me mom.”

Yuuri nearly died of embarrassment. How many times did he have to tell his mother that he and Yuuko haven’t discussed anything as serious as that?

“So do I,” Yuuko smiled as they walked towards the car. “You know, Yuuri is very respectful. I think it’s a testament to how well you and your husband have raised him.”

Hiroko looked very happy at the praise. “Of course,” she said. “I raised both my children to respect their partners. But I’ve always told them, abstinence until marriage. I won’t have my children giving in to the temptations of the flesh.”

“Oh, I completely agree.” Yuuko said, loading her suitcase into the back of the car. “My parents have always told me to wait until marriage. That way you know the man is interested in you as a person, rather than what you’ve got under your clothes.”

“Your parents sound very wise,” Hiroko replied. “Are they Catholic also?”

Yuuko nodded as the trio entered the car. “My father was actually going to become a priest. But he met my mother just before he was ordained, and they fell in love. They’re still very devout, and they expect me to marry a man who’s just as devout. I think I hit the jackpot with Yuuri.”

“You know what, Yuuko?” Hiroko said as they pulled out of the parking space. “I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

 

Yuuri’s family all fell in love with Yuuko the moment she stepped foot in the house. Yuuri was surprised that even Mari enjoyed her company.

“You’ve got a great girl there, little brother.” She said as the siblings did the washing-up after dinner. “Anyone who gets on mom’s good side must have something going for them.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri said distractedly. “I guess.”

“You _guess_?” Mari scoffed. “What’s wrong with her? Does she have hairy toes? Does she say ‘cool beans’? Is she actually a man?!”

“Mari!” Yuuri laughed, splashing his sister with the dirty water. “There’s nothing wrong with her. I just… I don’t know if _I’m_ good enough for her.”

Mari sighed and dropped the dish towel on the counter. “Of course you’re good enough for her,” she said grabbing Yuuri’s shoulders. “She wouldn’t have been with you for so long if she didn’t think so. I think maybe she’s looking to get a bit more serious…”

“What do you mean?” Yuuri asked, feeling his stomach tie in knots.

“Look, you didn’t hear it from me; but when you were in the bathroom, mom and Yuuko were discussing a job possibility, and local apartments that she could maybe afford. I think mom’s trying to get her to move here.”

Yuuri felt as though the bottom of his stomach dropped out and his blood turned to ice. “Why… why would she want Yuuko to do that?”

“Oh, Yuuri, you’re so dense.” Mari sighed, rolling her eyes. “Obviously because she wants the two of you to get married eventually.”

“Um… I have to pee.” Yuuri mumbled, making a bee-line for the bathroom.

Slamming the door shut, Yuuri sunk to the floor. He felt his heart racing, and his body was shaking. His mother was already planning his wedding. It was too much. Yuuri wasn’t ready for such a commitment. But he knew Hiroko wouldn’t see it that way. And to be honest, Yuuko had been dropping hints about marriage for months.

Of course, Yuuri had picked up on these hints, but he tried to act as oblivious as possible. There was something about settling down with someone that made him panic. He didn’t want to wake up thirty years from now married with 2.4 kids and regret his life. He was only 23, and there was still so much he wanted to do.

But there was also so much pressure on him to be a good Catholic son and marry a Catholic girl, and raise Catholic babies, and the thought of doing that right now made Yuuri feel physically sick.

He splashed some cold water on his face, trying to get his breathing under control before returning to his family and Yuuko.

“Are you alright, Yuuri?” his girlfriend asked worriedly.

“Yeah. Just feeling a bit off; maybe the dinner wasn’t cooked right.”

“Son, it was a salad,” Toshiya said blankly.

“Right…” Yuuri mumbled. “Maybe I should get some rest. Feeling a bit off… like I said.”

“Do you want me to bring you up some water in a bit?” Yuuko asked, getting to her feet and rubbing soothing circles on Yuuri’s back.

“No, I think I’ll be okay.” Yuuri tried to give her a reassuring smile. “Just a word of advice, Mari snores, so I hope you’ve got enough battery on your phone.”

Yuuko laughed as Mari shot an indignant “hey!” Yuuri’s way.

“Goodnight, Yuuri. I love you,” Yuuko said, giving her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek.

“You too,” Yuuri replied, hugging the petite girl.


	4. Chapter 4

“Ow! Fuck!”

Viktor brought his thumb up to his mouth and licked the wound.

“What happened?” Yuuri asked, hearing the swear from the office.

“I cut my finger,” Viktor sighed, showing the Japanese man the small cut on his thumb. “Hurts like a bitch.”

“There’s barely anything there,” Yuuri huffed. “Just put a band-aid on and stop being so dramatic.”

“Are you not going to kiss it better?” Viktor pouted. Yuuri began to splutter out something incomprehensible when the older man started laughing. “I’m teasing you, Yuuri!” he said, walking over to the hand washing sink and running his bloodied finger under the cold tap. “You’re so easy sometimes.”

Yuuri returned back to the office, looking at the paperwork he was about to sign off. He couldn’t believe his sister was right. Yuuko had been hired at the company, and the form just needed his signature to make it official. She’d be starting as soon as she got everything sorted back in Detroit, and she moved to San Francisco.

“You okay?” Viktor asked, leaning against the office door. “You seem pretty distracted.”

“Yeah, just a little stressed is all,” Yuuri sighed raking his fingers through his hair. “Once I sign this paperwork, and file it away, my girlfriend will be officially working here within a fortnight.”

“You don’t seem too happy about that,” Viktor frowned. “If I had _my_ boyfriend working with me, I’d be ecstatic. I don’t think I’d be able to shut up about it.”

“I didn’t know you had a… uh… I didn’t know you were seeing someone.” Yuuri stuttered.

“I’m not.” the Russian chuckled. “He’s purely hypothetical in this situation. I’m just saying, if I got to work with the person I loved every day, then no matter what the job was, it’d be the best job in the world.”

“You’re so sappy,” Yuuri rolled his eyes, fighting the smile trying to appear on his lips. “And no, it’s not that I’m unhappy. It’s just… I’m sure my mother has ulterior motives in hiring her.”

“Oh?”

“I think she’s trying to push us into marriage,” Yuuri groaned. “And I’m not quite ready for that yet.”

“Jeez. Sounds like you need a drink.”

“I don’t drink unless it’s communion wine at Mass,” Yuuri replied, turning his attention back to the paperwork.

Viktor walked in from the doorway and held his now-bandaged thumb up to Yuuri’s face. “Look,” he said. “It’s blue. It matches your glasses.”

Yuuri couldn’t help the snort of laughter pulled from his throat at Viktor’s random comment. He felt some of the tension drain from his body at the light-hearted moment they shared.

“You have an adorable laugh,” Viktor said, his voice soft and fond.

That immediately made Yuuri stop and the tension returned. “Don’t.” he said glaring up at Viktor. “Why did you have to ruin such a nice moment by saying something like that?”

“It was a compliment!” Viktor said defiantly, his face turning from soft to irritated. “Am I not allowed to give you a compliment now? It wasn’t a come-on if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Well, you didn’t have to say it in such a filthy way!” the Japanese man responded, his skin crawling at the implication.

“Wow. Okay, then. I’ll just talk to you in a dull monotone and keep my statements neutral, shall I?” Viktor huffed.

“Whatever. Just get back to work.”

Viktor turned back into the kitchen and started chopping up vegetables as though the knife were ten times heavier than it actually was, while Yuuri signed the form so hard, he was surprised the paper didn’t rip.

 

Over the following few weeks, Yuuri and Viktor never said anything to each other that didn’t involve work. The tension was so palpable, it made Yuuri dread the days he and Viktor were made to work together.

Yuuri’s stomach twisted uncomfortably whenever he saw a flash of silver hair, his heart sped up whenever he heard the silky Russian accent. It was so annoying that Yuuri lay awake every night just thinking of what he would say to Viktor if they ever got into another argument.

It didn’t help that when Yuuko started working at the company, she and Viktor seemed to get along very well indeed. In fact, after Yuuko’s first shift (which Yuuri wasn’t present for) she gushed about Viktor Nikiforov constantly, claiming that he was fast becoming her new best friend.

Yuuri returned from making a supply run to the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen, he entered to see Yuuko and Viktor doubled over, and almost unable to breathe due to their ridiculous guffaws.

“There doesn’t seem to be a lot of work getting done.” Yuuri said with raised eyebrows.

“I’m sorry Yuuri,” Yuuko wheezed. “It’s just… Viktor…” she burst into hysterics once again, Viktor not far behind her.

“Stop, Yuuko!” Viktor hissed playfully. “You’ll anger the boss!”

That just made Yuuko laugh even harder.

“I’m deeply sorry for my unprofessional colleague, Mr. Katsuki.” Viktor said in mock-concern. “But I think she may have been drinking before work. If I were you, I’d fire her immediately.”

“Viktor!” Yuuko giggled, slapping the Russian on the arm. “I’m not drunk. We’ll try and behave, Yuuri.”

“Well, as long as you don’t burn the food for tonight’s wedding reception, and actually do some work, that’s all that matters.” Yuuri said, before heading into the office.

“Seriously? What do you see in him?” Viktor whispered to Yuuko when Katsuki closed the door. “He’s so uptight.”

“He’s not normally,” Yuuko replied gently. “I think he just wants to prove to his parents he can do this job.”

“It’s just a shame.” Viktor said as he turned back to stir the pot of boiling rice on the stove.

“What is?” Yuuko asked absently, as she began dicing onions.

“Yuuri.” The Russian shrugged. “It’s just a shame that a guy that cute can be such an asshole. You deserve better.”

Yuuko just gave a non-committal hum and continued to slice the onions.

“He needs to get laid, stat! I’d do it myself if he wasn’t straight,” Viktor huffed. “Are you sure the whole ‘wait until marriage’ thing is non-negotiable?”

“I’m sure,” Yuuko smiled. “Sex isn’t all that important in the long-run. I’d rather have a husband who respects me as a person than one whose main goal is getting me naked.”

“Well, rather you than me, sister… So, you’re actually going to marry Katsuki, are you?”

“I hope so,” Yuuko said looking up from her cutting with a fond smile. “I’ve been dropping hints that that’s where I want us to end up, but Yuuri is about observant as a plank of wood.”

“You know, I can hear you both,” Yuuri called from the office. “These walls are paper thin and you’re not exactly talking quietly.

“Love you, honey!” Yuuko called sweetly, a slight blush appearing on her face.

“Get laid, Katsuki!” Viktor shouted, grinning smugly at Yuuko.


	5. Chapter 5

“Can’t you just put aside your differences for a few hours?” Yuuko asked as she and Yuuri made their way to Viktor’s party.

“Why? He didn’t invite _me_ to this thing, he invited you. I’m just a plus one.” Yuuri muttered, fidgeting with his blue tie irritably. “I don’t get why we have to go in the first place, it’s not like we’ve ever met his mother.”

Yuuko sighed in frustration. “I _told_ you, Mrs. Nikiforov is visiting him for the first time since he moved to America. He wants her to meet all his friends, and for her to see how happy he is here. For some reason, his mother thinks he spends all his free time alone.”

Yuuri wanted to argue that if Viktor was truly happy, he wouldn’t need to show off how many friends he had like a child, but he kept quiet.

“So, can you please not make the atmosphere tense while we’re here?” Yuuko implored. “For me?”

Yuuko fluttered her eyes and gave her boyfriend a puppy-dog smile. That was cheating. She knew Yuuri melted whenever she gave him that look.

“Alright,” he conceded. “I’ll make an effort not to strangle him.”

“You know, I really do think you and Viktor would be good friends if you gave each other a chance.” Yuuko said, slipping her hand into Yuuri’s. “You have a lot in common.”

“Maybe… if it wasn’t for his terrible personality.”

“Give him a chance.” Yuuko repeated.

 

The party had been going for about three hours and was in full swing by the time Viktor and Yuuri found themselves alone for the first time. They were both in the kitchen refilling their drinks while the rest of the guests were all congregated in the garden, enjoying the warm, late-June evening.

“Can I pour you a drink?” Yuuri offered, gesturing to the bottle of vodka on the table.

“Why?” Viktor seemed on guard. “You haven’t drugged it have you?”

“Look, I’m trying to apologise.” Yuuri said after taking a mouthful of Coke. “I think… maybe we should start over.”

“Why? Viktor said again.

“Because you and Yuuko are friends, and I don’t want things to be awkward between us when you invite her to stuff like this.”

“You do know I’m still going to be gay,” Viktor said coolly, pouring a shot of vodka into a plastic cup. “Us starting over isn’t going to erase that. If you’re still going to be uncomfortable with it, I wouldn’t bother if I were you.”

“How about we come to a compromise?” Yuuri said. When Viktor raised an eyebrow he continued; “How about we don’t mention the gay thing? We can talk about anything but our dating lives. That’ll be a strictly off-limits topic.”

“Does that mean you won’t talk about your relationships either?” Viktor asked sceptically.

Yuuri nodded. “I think it’s only fair.”

Viktor seemed to think for a minute, the begrudgingly held out his hand. “A truce, then.”

“A truce,” Yuuri repeated, grabbing his hand in a firm handshake.

“So… do you watch sports?” Viktor asked awkwardly.

“Just ice hockey,” Yuuri stated. “I used to skate when I was younger, and my parents took me to games every now and again. You?”

“Figure skating… it’s a bit of a cliché, I know.” Viktor laughed. “But I skated when I was younger too, back home in Russia.”

Viktor and Yuuri returned back to the garden and sat beside each other on the wooden bench by a statue of a doe. The older man mentioned how he was on the cusp of becoming a professional figure skater, but his parents couldn’t afford the coaching fees, so he just stuck to it being a hobby.

“Nobody seems to realise how much skill is involved in just keeping yourself upright on the ice,” Yuuri said as the pair spoke more and more in depth about the sport. “So when you add all those jumps and spins and stuff, figure skating is actually one of the toughest sports out there. Way more difficult than football or soccer.”

“I know, right?” Viktor enthused. “It gets labelled as a ‘sissy’ sport, but I’d like to see Tom Brady attempt a triple axel and not fall flat on his ass.”

Yuuri let out a soft chuckle. “I don’t know what that is, but yeah, same! Or try and tackle a puck from a guy armed with a carbon fibre stick and knife-shoes without either falling on his face, or slicing an artery open.”

Yuuri glanced away from Viktor’s laughing face for the first time in what felt like hours. He saw Yuuko gazing at them intently, and when she caught her boyfriend’s eye, she gave him a smile and a thumbs up; almost as if to say “told you you’d get along.”

“Yuuko mentioned that she skates too,” Viktor stated, drawing Yuuri’s attention back to him. “Maybe the three of us could go to the ice rink and I could show you both some of my legendary moves. I might get you to do a simple single rotation jump.”

Yuuri nearly choked on his drink. “My friend Takeshi tried to get me to do something like that when we were kids, and I nearly broke my neck! I think I’ll stick to hockey, thanks.”

“No, I think you’d be really good at it. Especially if you slimmed down a bit.”

“Are you calling me fat?” Yuuri demanded, feeling the twist of annoyance in his gut once again. Of course he and Viktor couldn’t get along, they’d always end up arguing eventually.

“No, no! That’s not what I meant at all,” Viktor said quickly, raising his hands in defence. “I just meant that for figure skating you need to have a particular body-type to do it to the level of professionals. It’s like playing soccer in the park with your friends versus playing for the UEFA premier league. I… uh… I don’t think I’m explaining this right… English isn’t my first language.”

“No, I get what you mean,” Yuuri said calmly, feeling rather silly about jumping to conclusions. “I guess I shouldn’t every negative comment as a personal attack. I just… I’ve had problems with my weight in the past, and it’s quite a touchy subject for me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Yuuri gave Viktor a comforting smile, obviously Viktor didn’t know; how could he? But it was something Yuuri tried so hard to keep under control. Food was his coping mechanism for anxiety, and as punishment for whenever he gave in to temptation and made a morally bad decision (which happened more often than he’d like to admit). It had taken a few months, but Yuuri was finally back to a weight he didn’t absolutely loathe.

 

Viktor was wasted by 9:30pm, as were most of the guests. Yuuko was mildly tipsy, and giggled as she stated that she loved Yuuri while resting her head on his shoulder. Viktor’s mother had lost the ability to speak English, and resorted to speaking Russian while gesturing wildly to translate what she was trying to say.

Yuuri was lamenting his decision to stay sober when he bumped into a vodka-smelling lump on his way to the bathroom.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

“Yuuuuuuuri!!” Viktor slurred, wrapping his arm around the Japanese man’s shoulders. “You... are very beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Yuuri grimaced. Oh, god. Viktor was so drunk, and he was flirting with Yuuri… again.

“I’m s-sorry we got off on the wrong foot,” Viktor said, steering Yuuri away from the bathroom and into the kitchen. “I just… I like you. I think you’re a cooool guy.”

Yuuri tried not to laugh as Viktor poured himself another vodka, missing the cup completely so just deciding to drink straight from the bottle.

“You just need to chiiiiiill,” Viktor said, elongating the word ‘chill’ in in a breathy whisper. “Like, reeeally chill. You’re so uptight, you need the stick removed from your ass, and then maaaaybe you can have a little fun for once.”

“I think you’ve had enough to drink, Viktor.” Yuuri said, taking the bottle from the Russian. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“You joining me?” Viktor asked, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

“You wish. No, you’re just going to sleep.” Yuuri took Viktor by the waist and lead him upstairs. “Which one’s your room?”

Viktor pointed to the second door on the right, and Yuuri pushed open the door.

The room was spacious enough, a chest of drawers on the left inside the door, a king-sized bed under the window, facing the door. There were several posters of very attractive topless men pinned to the walls, and Yuuri tried his hardest not to imagine what Viktor used the posters for.

What Yuuri didn’t expect to see was a large brown poodle curled up on the foot of the bed.

“I didn’t know you had a dog?” Yuuri asked, surprised.

“Yeeeeah. That’s my baby Makkachin,” Viktor beamed, his mouth curling into a heart-shape.

“Makkachin? That’s an odd name,” Yuuri laughed. “Where did you come up with that?”

“I don’t know. It sounded good.” Viktor shrugged, collapsing on the bed.

“Alright. Goodnight, Viktor.” Yuuri said, turning back towards the door.

“Yuuri?” Viktor asked, lifting his head slightly off the bed. “What is ‘goodnight’ in Japanese?”

“Oyasumi,” Yuuri replied, with an amused smile. “What’s it in Russian?”

“Dobroy nochi,” came the slurred response. “Japanese sounds better. It’s such a pretty language... with pretty boys.”

“Goodnight, Viktor.” Yuuri repeated.

“I think you mean ‘oy-ass-me’!” the drunk giggled, his accent much more obvious through the (butchered) use of Yuuri’s mother tongue.

“Yeah, alright. Oyasumi, Viktor.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaack! 
> 
> I hadn't forgotten about this, I was just on holiday in Orlando for the past two and a half weeks. It was awesome, but now it's back to reality and job hunting DX But since I have nothing better to be doing for the forseeable future, expect more frequent updates :3

The next day, Yuuri walked into work to be greeted by a figure slumped over one of the food-prep counters. Viktor was wearing sunglasses and had his head cradled in his arms, leaning against the metallic surface. He seemed to be stood frozen in place, and if it wasn’t for the steady rise and fall of his shoulders, Yuuri would be certain the Russian was dead.

“You alright?” Yuuri asked, tentatively making his way towards Viktor.

“I’m dying,” Viktor mumbled, his voice was about three octaves lower, and it sounded as though his throat was made of sandpaper. “Or I’ve already died. I’m not sure…”

“Hangover?”

“No. A hangover I can handle, this is like torture.” Viktor slowly raised his head, wincing slightly at the pain shooting through his skull.

“You shouldn’t have drunk so much,” Yuuri sighed with a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “This is self-inflicted, and I have no sympathy for you.”

“You’re so cruel,” Viktor said, removing his sunglasses and rubbing his eyes.

“No, _this_ is cruel,” Yuuri grinned. He then grabbed a wooden spoon and started banging it against one of the large stainless steel pots loudly, causing Viktor to wince again and cover his head with this hands.

“Why would you do that?” Viktor whined once Yuuri had ceased. “Even prisoners in Guantanamo Bay aren’t subjected to such torment!”

“I’m just warning you that my mother will be coming in this afternoon to look over some paperwork,” Yuuri said, the smirk still plastered across his face. “And that’s how it’ll feel mentally when she starts nit-picking at everything.”

“Your family are a bunch of sadists,” Viktor grumbled, before heading to the changing rooms to get into his work clothes.

Yuuri couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped from him. He was glad that he and Viktor managed to patch things up. It made the work environment a lot more lighter, and there wasn’t so much tension hanging in the air. Yuuko was right after all, Yuuri and Viktor did have a lot in common; from their music preferences, the sports they liked to watch, they even loved Hiroko’s famous Katsudon; the catering company’s signature dish. 

Yuuri headed into the office to collect the paperwork his mother would need when she came in at noon and put it in the top drawer of the computer desk. After logging in and checking his emails, Yuuri realised that Viktor still hadn’t come out of the changing room. Sighing, he stood from the computer, and went to check on the hungover man.

When Yuuri walked inside the small changing room, he was greeted by a shirtless Viktor with his black and white checked trousers half way up his legs, laying on the wooden bench that sat against the wall. Viktor had his right arm over his eyes, while the left was slumped lifelessly at his side. He seemed to have fallen asleep.

“Viktor?” Yuuri asked, stepping slowly towards his employee. “Are you still alive?”

The only response Yuuri got was a barely-audible groan. The younger man sat on the edge of the bench, running his fingers through the mess of silver hair below him.

“I think maybe you should go home, Viktor.” Yuuri said softly. “I can’t have you here if your work is going to suffer.”

“No…” Viktor protested, sitting up from the bench and looking Yuuri in the eyes; or at least tried to, as his eyes were unfocussed and bleary. “I’ll be fine, just…”

But the Russian was unable to finish his sentence because at that moment, he emptied his stomach onto the changing room floor.

“Go home, Viktor.” Yuuri said.

“No, I’ll be fine. I feel better now, honestly.”

Yuuri sighed. “No you don’t Viktor. I can see it in your face. Look, if you go home now, you’ll still get paid in full. But if you stay, and end up going home later, you’ll only get paid for what you do. It’s your choice. I know what I’d choose.”

“Alright, OK.” Viktor groaned, pulling his trousers off his legs. “I’ll go home. But who’ll do the cooking today?”

“Let me worry about that. Just go get some rest,” said Yuuri as he handed Viktor back his normal clothes. “But I expect you back here on Saturday for Mr. Yamaguchi’s retirement party. He’s a highly valued customer and we need our star chef that day.”

Viktor let out a weak chuckle. “I know who Mr. Yamaguchi is, Yuuri. I have been working here for three years.”

“Yeah, sorry. I keep forgetting that.” The younger man laughed.

 

After his shift was over, Yuuri found himself standing at Viktor’s front door, and ringing the bell.

The Russian answered wearing nothing but a silk maroon bathrobe that was opened a bit too loosely, giving Yuuri a full-view of Viktor’s pecs.

“You wax your chest?” Yuuri blurted out in lieu of a more traditional greeting.

“Hello to you too, Yuuri.” Viktor smirked with a raised eyebrow. “Are you at my door for a reason, or have you just come by to critique my grooming habits and ogle my body? Which I’m completely OK with, by the way.”

Yuuri felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment, and his mouth felt a little more dry than usual. Viktor had the body of the Greek god, Adonis, and it made Yuuri feel quite inadequate by comparison. He had a fleeting urge to reach out and touch his gloriously defined muscles, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he crushed it with his metaphorical boot.

“I… uh… I brought you this,” Yuuri stammered, holding out a small container of soup. “It’s chicken. My mom used to make it whenever I was sick. It’s light enough that you should be able to keep it down, but it’s got enough nutrients to help fight off the illness… in this case, a hangover.”

“Thank you,” Viktor said, looking quite surprised as he took the the soup. “Uh, why don’t you come in? I’m feeling a little better and could use the company.”

“OK,” Yuuri said softly as he stepped over the threshold. “What about your mother?”

“She’s gone off to bingo with my neighbour. To be honest, I’m quite glad; she’s been nagging at me since I got home.”

The pair walked into the kitchen, which had been cleaned up since the last time Yuuri saw it, and Viktor got out a small pot for the soup.

“I’ll heat it up,” Yuuri offered, taking the pot from the Russian. “You go into the living room and see if there’s anything decent to watch on TV.”

“Are you sure?” Viktor asked. Yuuri nodded and made a shooing motion with his hand. The Russian flashed him a grateful smile and headed into the living room.

A couple of minutes later, Yuuri joined Viktor on the couch, handing the chef a hot-but-not-too-hot bowl of chicken soup.

“Find anything?” Yuuri enquired.

Viktor shook his head slowly. “Everything that’s on is either something I’d never watch, or it’ll make my head hurt. There’s nothing feel-goody.”

Yuuri pulled out his phone and scrolled through his TV listings app. “Hey, Homeward Bound is on in ten minutes on the Disney Channel! That’s feel-goody.”

“I’ve never heard of it. What’s it about?”

“You’ve never heard of Homeward Bound?!” Yuuri repeated in disbelief. When Viktor shook his head, Yuuri explained. “It’s about these three pets, two dogs and a cat, who are left to be taken care of by a family friend while the dad works a temporary job in the city. The animals start missing the kids that own them, and when the golden retriever thinks that the kid that owns him is in trouble (because why else would he be away for so long?), they travel miles through the American wilderness to get back home.”

“Sounds like it’ll make me cry,” Viktor said. “Let’s watch it.”

 

Viktor was right. Every time Yuuri glanced at the older man, he either was crying, or was on the verge of crying.

They were about ten minutes from the end, and somehow they had gotten into a position where Yuuri was leaning against the arm of the couch, with his arms around Viktor’s torso, who was lying between Yuuri’s legs and his head on Yuuri’s chest.

“If Shadow dies, I’m never speaking to you again,” Viktor sniffed as they watch the elderly golden retriever struggle up a muddy slope with a broken leg.

Yuuri smiled fondly at Viktor (who couldn’t see Yuuri’s reaction as he was focussed on the TV), and rested his cheek against the top of the Russian’s head. Yuuri felt oddly comfortable sitting like this. He made a mental note to try this with Yuuko. If it was this nice with Viktor, it must be amazing with her.

The credits rolled, and Viktor sat up from Yuuri, who immediately missed the warmth Viktor’s body provided.

“That was so good,” Viktor said, his eyes bloodshot, and his hair a mess; but he looked pleased nonetheless. “I kept thinking if Makka would do something like that for me. Because I would for him.”

Yuuri reached out a hand and wiped the still-cascading tears from the other man’s cheeks. It was a tender moment between the two men that was broken when Viktor’s face leaned into Yuuri.

“What are you doing?” Yuuri demanded, pulling back as his heart seemed to drop from his chest.

“Getting a tissue,” Viktor frowned, pulling the Kleenex box from the side table behind Yuuri. “Why? What did you think –”

“Nothing!” Yuuri said quickly, once again feeling his face heat up.

“You need to stop being so jumpy around me, Yuuri.” The Russian said sternly. “Just because I’m gay, doesn’t mean I’m going to try and make out with any guy in the vicinity. We’re supposed to be friends. Would you be worried that any of your female friends would try and jump you at any moment?”

Yuuri shook his head. “You’re right,” he said. “I’m just not used to being around a homosexual. I’m sorry. I really am trying.”

“I think it’s time you left, Yuuri. Your girlfriend will be wondering where you are.”

“Yeah, OK.” Yuuri said slowly. “I’ll see you on Saturday for Mr. Yamaguchi’s party.”

“Bye, Yuuri.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is Hiroko always the antagonist in my fics? XD I really don't have anything against her, or my own mother, but this is the 2nd fic of mine where she's the baddie (the other being Dirty Little Secret) :p

Mr Yamaguchi was an old family friend of the Katsukis. He was a very rich businessman, and he and Toshiya went golfing together on weekends, so he always hired them to cater at his and his wife’s parties. The added bonus of this being that once they set up the table, they were free to mingle with the guests and hosts.

“Yuuri!” Mr Yamaguchi called, half-way through the party; his face was tinged red, and he was swaying slightly. “My boy! It’s been a long time. It’s good to see you back in ‘Frisco!”

“Mr. Yamaguchi, it’s nice to see you again,” Yuuri said bowing. “I hope the food is to your liking. This was my first time leading the kitchen for an event, so if anything is wrong, it’s entirely my fault.”

“Nonsense, lad!” the old Japanese man said a little too loudly. “I’m sure everything is fine.”

“Yuuri?” said a middle-aged woman appearing at Mr. Yamaguchi’s shoulder. “My, you’ve grown into such a handsome young man!” Yuuri blushed at the praise Mrs. Yamaguchi gave. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Now, now, Tamiko. No need to interrogate the boy.” Mr. Yamaguchi laughed. “I’m sure his mother’s already asked.”

“It was just a harmless question, Nick!” Mrs. Yamaguchi defended. “I’m sure a nice young boy like Yuuri is beating the girls off with a stick.”

“Actually, I am seeing someone.” Yuuri said, hoping to end the Yamaguchi’s bickering. “Her name is Yuuko, and she’s here... somewhere.” Yuuri scanned the crowd and noticed his girlfriend and Viktor chatting away by the bar. “There she is!” he said pointing to her.

“Well, introduce us!” Mrs. Yamaguchi gushed, pulling Yuuri over to the bar.

The first ten minutes of the conversation was torture, Mrs. Yamaguchi was practically interrogating Yuuko, but it was nothing compared to after Hiroko joined them.

“She’s so pretty, Yuuri.” Mrs. Yamaguchi cooed, stroking Yuuko’s face with her hand. “You’ve done so well. Have you picked a date?”

“Well, actually we haven’t…” Yuuri began, but Hiroko interrupted him.

“We were thinking November, around Yuuri’s birthday.” she beamed. “We’ve been talking with Yuuko’s father, logistic and such.”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it…” Yuuri said, looking at Yuuko, who looked equally as clueless.

Hiroko laughed, “Such a joker.” She said placing a hand on her son’s bicep and gave it a warning squeeze. “I hope you both will be able to make it. We’ll send out invitations when everything’s been confirmed.”

“Of course, we wouldn’t miss it for the world, my dear!” Mr. Yamaguchi bellowed, the alcohol clearly taking its toll on his behaviour.

“Oh, Viktor dear.” Mrs. Yamaguchi suddenly said, turning to the Russian, who had been oddly quiet throughout the conversation. “My nephew thinks he might’ve left his jacket at your apartment the other night. Do you think you can check, and give me a call if it’s there?”

“Yeah, not a problem.” Viktor grinned. “Tell Kenny he can come by himself if he wants a repeat performance.” Viktor winked at Yuuri, who tried not to throw up at the mental image.

“It was nice to meet you, Yuuko.” Mrs. Yamaguchi bowed, making her way to the food table.

Hiroko rounded on Viktor when Yuuko excused herself to the bathroom. “Kenny? As in _Kenjirou Minami_?” she asked, disgusted. “He’s only _just_ turned 18! He’s barely legal!”

“Barely is still legal, babe.” Viktor said with a shrug.

“You’re disgusting, you know that?” Hiroko sighed, walking away.

“What is your problem, Hiroko?” Viktor demanded, grabbing her arm. “You can’t just say something like that and walk away from me!”

“Leave it, Viktor.” Yuuri sighed, he really didn’t want him to make a scene in front of their family friends.

“Like hell I will!” the Russian said, shooting the younger man a quick glance before glaring back at Hiroko. “At least have the decency to finish what you started!”

“You go on about your life like it’s something to be proud of,” the matriarch said, looking at Viktor with distain.

“I’m not ashamed of who I am,” he said in a low, dangerous voice.

“Well, you ought to be.” Hiroko hissed.

“I don’t believe I’m hearing this…” Viktor scrubbed his face with his hands, trying not to deck the middle-aged woman.

“Just have some decency, and stop flaunting it about!” and with that, she walked off, leaving Viktor and Yuuri standing in uncomfortable silence, the elder man trying to control his breathing.

“Your mother can be a right pain in the ass,” Viktor said, eyes closing in frustration. “Well, now I can see why you’re so uncomfortable around gays.”

“Viktor, we have nothing against homosexuality.” Yuuri sighed. “As far as my family are concerned, we believe people can live their lives however they want. But the bible says it’s a sin, so we can’t condone it as good Christians.”

“As _good Christians_?!” Viktor repeated incredulously, eyes snapping open. “I may not be religious, Yuuri, but I thought Christianity was all about love and compassion? And I’m pretty sure the bible says something like ‘ _judge not lest ye be judged’._ Or so I heard on The Simpsons.”

“Not everyone shares your values, Viktor,” Yuuri said pointedly.

“What about you? What do you think?”

Yuuri gave a sigh. “This isn’t about what I think,” he said. But as he turned away, Viktor grabbed his arm. Looking back, Yuuri saw the desperate look on Viktor’s face.

“Yuuri, please.” He implored. “I want to know what it is you think of me.”

Yuuri looked around the room nervously, hoping that no-one would overhear the nature of their conversation. “We agreed we wouldn’t talk about this sort of thing…”

“Answer me!”

“It’s against God’s will!” Yuuri all but shouted. “Man should not lie with man.”

Viktor looked like he’d just been stung. “And here was me thinking we were friends.” And just like that, Viktor became the fifth person to leave the bar area.

 

The evening drew to a close, and Viktor and Yuuri were the last people in the party room, having been nominated by (a very drunk) Toshiya to tidy up in the venue’s kitchen.

“Well, I think that went alright for my first event as manager,” Yuuri said conversationally as he loaded the dirty dishes into a plastic box.

Viktor was stood emptying the remainder of the food into a garbage bag with enough force to take the paint off some of the dishes. “Had a little bump to the head, Katsuki?” he said moodily. “Couple of hours ago you seemed all set to publicly flog me.”

“I’m sorry…” Yuuri began.

“You can tell your mother, and everyone else with your holier-than-thou attitude that there is more to me than just being a pumped-up queer.”

“I know, you don’t have to tell me that…”

“Don’t I?!” Viktor exclaimed, slamming the dishes back down on the counter. “Then why have you been flip-flopping since the day we met?”

“You don’t understand…” Yuuri said, running his hands through his hair in frustration. He really didn’t want to have this conversation with… anyone, ideally.

“Damn right I don’t!” Of course, Viktor just had to keep pushing. “You know what, Yuuri? Just go. I’ll finish up here myself.”

Yuuri didn’t move. It was just like how it was with Mila all those months ago. He made a mistake then and he’ll be damned if he makes the same mistake a second time.

“I said, go!” Viktor shouted.

“I can’t,” Yuuri mumbled.

“Why not?” Yuuri said nothing. “You got what you wanted didn’t you? You’ve pissed me off. Go on, go marry your princess, and live happily ever after.” Viktor’s voice was becoming more and more mocking, clearly trying to goad Yuuri into punching him. As much as Yuuri would like nothing more than to smack Viktor right in his perfect face, he was stuck to the spot.

“I don’t get you, Yuuri!” Viktor continued. “Sometimes you act like we’re friends, then you rip apart everything I stand for! What _exactly_ is your problem, huh?”

Finally, Yuuri’s body unfroze. He had to get away from Viktor before he did something he seriously regretted. Yuuri took a few steps towards the exit before Viktor grabbed his arm and pulled him close.

“Because this isn’t _just_ about religion, is it?” Viktor pleaded.

Yuuri never noticed how blue the Russian’s eyes were. Impossibly blue. Almost turquoise. And those perfectly sculpted eyebrows, drawn into a confused frown, staring intently into Yuuri’s own eyes as if searching for the answer to one of the biggest mysteries in the universe.

Yuuri’s gaze flickered down to Viktor’s lips, pink and soft-looking. Big mistake. Yuuri licked his own lips, and glanced back up into Viktor’s eyes; the Russian’s expression had changed from annoyance to realisation. Yuuri leaned in almost instinctively and pressed his mouth against Viktor’s. His lips were just as soft as they looked in the dim light of the room.

For a second, it seemed as if Viktor was going to pull away, but his hand eventually rose from Yuuri’s arm and cupped the Japanese man’s face, and Viktor was moving his mouth to deepen the kiss...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... ya. That happened ;)


	8. Chapter 8

When Yuuri awoke the next morning, he felt as though he had a hangover. He rolled over and pressed his face into the pillow and let out a painful groan as the memories of the previous night swam into his head.

He had kissed someone else. He had kissed Viktor Nikiforov. _He had kissed a man_. Yuuri’s stomach churned with guilt. Thankfully, he never let it get farther than kissing. He came to his senses soon afterwards and bolted from the room as quickly as he could.

It was a test, Yuuri concluded. God was testing his faith by tempting him into sin with Viktor Nikiforov. He had failed the test.

Yuuri rose from his bed and entered the shower. He turned the water to a temperature that was just on the side of ‘too hot’, took the nail brush from the shelf and scrubbed and scrubbed at his skin until it was red-raw. It hurt, but he deserved the pain. He was disgusting. He had to scrub away the impurities that wormed their way into his soul.

Of course, he would never tell his family or Yuuko about what happened. He just hoped that Viktor knew enough to keep quiet too. The thought of Viktor caused Yuuri’s stomach to flip once again. They were going to be working together today. Mila was on vacation, and Viktor had graciously accepted to cover her Sunday shift.

 

Yuuri’s hands shook as the minutes from 9am, when he opened up the offices, to 9:30am, when Viktor was due to start work, dragged on. He kept glancing at the clock every few seconds, jumping at every noise.

Finally, Viktor appeared at 9:28am; causing Yuuri’s heart to beat at double its normal speed.

“Good morning,” Yuuri smiled, hoping against hope that the Russian didn’t notice the way his voice cracked.

“Good morning,” Viktor replied, looking slightly hesitant. “Look, Yuuri. Before we start today, I think we have to address the elephant in the room.”

“What elephant?” Yuuri asked as casually as he could. “There’s no elephant that comes to my mind.”

“We kissed, Yuuri.” Viktor said plainly. “Last night. We need to talk about what happened.”

“It was a thing that happened,” Yuuri replied, trying to find his paperwork more interesting than it was. “And it won’t happen again. It was a mistake, and I’m sorry if you thought it meant more than it did.”

“What _did_ it mean?”

“Absolutely nothing.” Yuuri said shortly, his heart thumping harshly in his chest. “Now, I’d like you to get on with your work and we’ll never mention this ever again to anyone.”

“Are you gay, Yuuri?” Viktor asked softly. “Because it would make sense.”

“What?! No!” Yuuri frowned, shocked and offended by the accusation. “I thought I made myself clear? We’re never to talk about it again. Now, just drop it!”

Viktor’s expression was unreadable, he just shrugged and left to get changed into his chef’s clothes.

Yuuri’s whole body was shaking and he felt as though he were on the verge of tears he was so angry. How _dare_ Viktor suggest that he was gay? It was a kiss. Kisses can be platonic. Alright, so he may have opened his mouth, and allowed Viktor’s tongue to slide against his own, but Viktor was European, and isn’t that how they kiss in Europe?

Despite what he had said to Viktor, Yuuri knew deep down that this was far from the last time the Russian would bring up this subject. Yuuri would have to be on guard whenever Viktor was around, as he might try to make-out with Yuuri again. Not that they made-out in the first place, it was just a kiss. A heat of the moment thing.   
It meant nothing.

 

Yuuri kept to the office as much as he could that day. It was a Sunday, so it was the shortest work day; just he and Viktor working until 2pm, then they’d take the food over to the church hall for the funeral reception they were hired for.

Yuuri had just finished putting in the workers’ pay checks for that month, when the computer decided to freeze.

Hitting control, alt, delete did nothing, and he didn’t know enough about computers to try anything else.

“Viktor, can you come in here for a minute?” Yuuri called from the office door. Viktor appeared a few seconds later, wiping his hands on a piece of cloth. “Do you know anything about computers?”

“Why? What’s happened?”

Yuuri made a motion for Viktor to follow him into the office, where to pointed at the screen. “I don’t know what to do. It just froze. I tried the usual control, alt, delete, but it’s not working.” He said collapsing into the desk chair.

Viktor leaned over Yuuri and clacked away on a couple of keys, when a dialogue box opened. Viktor clicked on a few things and the computer shut down.

“What did you do?” Yuuri asked in amazement.

Viktor smirked. “Magic.”

“No, seriously. What happened?”

“Your system is overheated,” Viktor said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I had to run a command to shut it down manually. Leave it off for about an hour, then switch it back on. You really need to look into getting some proper ventilation in here. These computers won’t last long in a tiny, stuffy room like this.”

“Thank you,” Yuuri mumbled.

“Any time.” Viktor’s face was only a couple of inches from Yuuri’s own, so the younger man really shouldn’t have been surprised when Viktor leaned in and kissed Yuuri on the mouth.

The feeling sent tingles through Yuuri’s lips, and down his spine. He closed his eyes, it felt too good, but he knew he had to pull away. This wasn’t right, but as Viktor carded his fingers through the back of Yuuri’s head, all rational thought went out the window, and Yuuri could only focus on the pleasant feeling he was currently experiencing.

Their kissing was tender and unrushed, the only sound in the office was the noise of their lips smacking together. Yuuri let out a soft, barely-audible moan through his nose, which caused Viktor to pull back; a thin string of saliva connected their mouths. “Not gay, my ass.” Viktor smirked, his pupils blown, and lips kiss-bitten and wet.

And as though they were magical words to break a spell, Yuuri’s rational mind returned. He pushed Viktor away with as much strength as he could muster, and leapt from his seat.

“You’re an asshole!” Yuuri shouted, his blood boiling with unadulterated fury. “I asked you for a favour, and you turn around and do this. What the _fuck_ is your problem?!”

“What the fuck is _your_ problem?” Viktor countered, his face flushed. “Why can’t you just admit that you’re gay? Or at least bi!”

“Because I’m not!” Yuuri screeched. “You’re… you… I don’t know what you are, but I know this is your fault!”

Viktor laughed, a cold humourless laugh. “Yuuri, I’m not stupid. I’ve kissed many guys. Some experienced, some not so. I can tell who has experience, and who hasn’t. And you, my friend, have kissed men before. I can tell.”


	9. Chapter 9

Yuuri’s jaw dropped open in horror, and Viktor knew he’d struck a chord. He wasn’t lying, Viktor _could_ tell whenever he kissed someone if they’d ever had experience. It was a sort of gift he had. He could even tell by the way someone kissed which gender they had the most experience with.

Men who had little to no kissing experience, regardless of which gender the preferred to kiss, often hesitated in the beginning, and their lips would shake slightly. 

However, men that had experience and who had only kissed women were softer and tended to take the more dominant role. There was usually a battle of dominance with men who kissed both men and women. And men who primarily kissed men, were harsher and opened their mouths a little wider. These were Viktor’s findings through his years of unofficial research; and Yuuri checked the box in the ‘ _primarily kisses men_ ’ column.

“That is ridiculous!” Yuuri shouted when Viktor told him his theory. “There is no way you can tell who someone likes to kiss based on _that_! It’s complete baloney! If that were true, you’d have won the Nobel Prize or something!”

“I’m right, though. Aren’t I, Yuuri?” Viktor said, taking a few steps towards the annoyed Japanese man. “You’ve kissed men before?”

Before he knew it, Viktor had Yuuri pinned against the wall. The younger man’s breathing became more pronounced as he stared up at the Russian, his eyes wide, and lips parted.

“Just tell me,” Viktor’s voice was barely more than a whisper. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“No…” Yuuri breathed. “I haven’t...”

“You’re lying…”

“I’m not…”

“I don’t believe you…”

Their voices were low, as though they were afraid of being overheard by someone, even though it was only them in the building.

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Yuuri,” Viktor said earnestly, he was just a few inches from Yuuri’s face; his eyes darting between the younger man’s eyes and mouth. “I won’t mention it to anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about...”

“OK...” Yuuri conceded. “But not just kissing… I’ve also… done more than that...”

“What? One night stands?” the older man enquired gently.

Yuuri nodded. “Kiss me again, Viktor. Please.”

Viktor obliged, leaning down and capturing his boss’ lips in another soft kiss. Yuuri raised his arms and wrapped them around the back of Viktor’s neck, deepening the kiss and slipping his tongue inside Viktor’s mouth, feeling the Russian’s tongue slide smoothly against his own. Viktor’s own hands rested on Yuuri’s hips as he pulled him flush against his body.

Yuuri allowed himself to release a moan, louder than the one before, as their kissing grew more heated. Viktor rocked his groin against Yuuri. In the back of his mind, the younger man felt something firm press against his hip. It took Yuuri’s brain a few minutes to realise the firmness was growing, and quickly became aware of what exactly it was. He pushed Viktor away once again.

“What?” Viktor panted, looking confused.

“You!” Yuuri hissed. “You’re getting an erection!”

“Yeah, I know.” Viktor smirked “I’m making-out with a cute guy, it was bound to happen; sometimes my body reacts like a horny teenager. Just ignore it, let’s keep going…”

Viktor made a move to reconnect their mouths, but Yuuri placed a hand on Viktor’s chest and turned his head away.

“No! It’s disgusting!” Yuuri replied firmly, looking mildly nauseous.

“We don’t have to do anything about it. You’ve had sex with men before, _why_ is this such a big deal for you?”

“I haven’t had sex with men!” Yuuri’s voice was unexpectedly loud, as though the words forced themselves from his diaphragm. “I haven’t had sex with anyone! You… you forced me to say it!”

Viktor groaned in frustration. “How can I force you to say something like that?!” he glared.

“Because…” Yuuri was anger returned, and his body was shaking again. “Because… _because_ …”

“Because of the wonderful things I do?” Viktor interrupted snarkily.

“Because you wouldn’t let the subject drop!” Yuuri said. “I knew you wouldn’t stop badgering me until I told you what you wanted to hear!”

“No, Yuuri,” Viktor sighed. “That was the first time you’ve ever been honest with me... probably yourself too.”

“I’m _not_ gay,” Yuuri said sternly.

“You keep telling yourself that, love.” Viktor grimaced. “ _You_ asked _me_ to kiss you literally just thirty seconds ago, remember? Why would you do that if you weren’t attracted to men?”

Yuuri was silent for a few seconds, his fury had paralyzed his voice. Whenever he tried to speak, his jaw muscles would just become tighter. Once he was able to talk, instead of defending his actions, he settled on saying “Just get back to work, Viktor.”

“Gladly.” Viktor turned on his heel and slammed the office door behind him.

Yuuri could feel his heart hammering in his chest, he was shaking so uncontrollably he couldn’t concentrate when he turned to complete the hard copies of the pay check records. Stupid Viktor. Stupid Viktor and his stupid accent, and his stupid hair, and his stupid… everything. Just… stupid Viktor.

Yuuri wasn’t gay. He wasn’t. He was as straight as a fire poker. He had a girlfriend, didn’t he? And he’d had lots of girlfriends throughout high school and college. If he was gay, he wouldn’t be with Yuuko. He loved Yuuko. Yuuri was _not_ gay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is a beach shoe - he flip flops


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously since we don't know Yuuko's maiden name, I just made it up :3

Yuuri’s parent’s anniversary was approaching. They’ll have been married for 35 years the coming Friday and were taking the family and some close friends out for a fancy meal. Of course, this meant only one thing for Yuuko: shopping!

“What about this one?” Yuuko asked, stepping out of the fitting room.

“You’d look stunning in a garbage bag,” Yuuri smiled as she turned to look at herself in the full-length mirror.

“I’m torn between this blue and the red one we saw back in Banana Republic.” She said, studying her reflection.

They had been walking from store to store in search of the “perfect” dress, and Yuuri was exhausted. A dress was a dress, did it really matter? Why couldn’t she shop like he did, and get the first one she liked? It would save on all this damn walking about.

“I like the blue one better,” Yuuri said, hoping that they wouldn’t have to go back to the other store for the red dress. “It really shows off your amazing figure. But that’s just my opinion, it’s up to you, of course.”

Yuuko beamed at him. “Thanks, Yuuri. I think I _will_ go with the blue, if you think it suits me better. You have really good taste for a guy.”

Once Yuuko had changed back into her normal clothes, Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief. All he wanted to do was go home and relax.

Yuuko went to pay for her items just as Yuuri felt his phone buzz. He sat down on one of the chairs near the check-outs and fished it out of his pocket.

It was from Viktor – because _of course_ it was. It had been over a week since Viktor accused Yuuri of being gay, but they had managed to pretend in front of the Katsuki’s and Yuuko that they were still the best of friends. They’d joke about and be generally pleasant towards each other when others were around, but once they were left alone they’d be completely silent; neither one wanting to apologise.

“ _We need to have a proper talk._ ” the message read. “ _I don’t like the atmosphere between us. Can you come round to mine at some point today? I just want things back to how they were._ ”

It sounded as though Viktor was ready to admit he was wrong. That he wanted to apologise to Yuuri for accusing him of being something he wasn’t. And if Yuuri was honest, he did actually miss being friends with the Russian.

“ _I’m out with Yuuko at the moment,_ ” Yuuri typed back. “ _But I can be there after dinner, about 7pm?_ ”

Yuuri hit send, and got a reply almost instantly; “ _Perfect. See you then!_ ” followed by a smiling emoji.

“Who’re you texting?” Yuuko asked from behind him. She had a playful smirk on her lips, and her tone was light and teasing. “If it’s another woman, I’m going to have to drop-kick a bitch.”

“Don’t worry, it was just Viktor.” Yuuri smiled, wrapping his arm around the petite brunette as they exited the store. “He wants me to join a Guy’s Night with some of his friends. I just hope a gay Guy’s Night is the same as a normal Guy’s Night…”

Yuuko laughed and butted him gently with her head. “I don’t think he’s inviting you to an orgy, Yuuri. But if he is, before you storm out, do you mind snapping a few pictures for me?”

Yuuri gazed at his girlfriend with a jokingly-shocked expression. “Yuuko Kanashi! I didn’t know you were such a sexual deviant! What _would_ my parents say if they find out I’m dating a hussy?” “You need a little adventure in your life, sweetie,” Yuuko laughed. “You play things too safe. You might enjoy an all-male orgy; you’ll never know until you try it.”

“Hmm… no thanks,” Yuuri said, pulling a disgusted face. “Do you think _you’d_ enjoy an all- _female_ orgy?”

“Maybe,” Yuuko shrugged as they walked to the car. “I’ve never been in the position where it’s been an option. Find me the right girl, and we’ll see what happens.”

They loaded their shopping bags into the car, and Yuuri got behind the wheel. “Don’t you think it’ll be a bit gross to be with someone of the same gender?” he asked, still with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“Like I said, you don’t know until you try,” Yuuko laughed. “Unlike you, Yuuri, I am comfortable enough with my sexuality to not let these things bother me.”

“But ‘man should not lie with man’ it says so in the bible. Homosexuality is wrong, it’s a sin.” Yuuri explained as he pulled out of the parking lot. “Your dad was going to be a priest, you should know this.”

“Yes, and the bible also says that it’s OK to beat your wife, and to sell your daughter into slavery,” Yuuko sighed. “Times change, you can’t hold on to archaic teachings just because that’s what it says in the bible. God gave us free will for a reason, Yuuri. He wants us to follow our own path, and discover what is right and wrong on our own. My dad once told me that when he was studying theology, there was a school of thought that said some of the biblical passages are red herrings, and that God put them there to test our morality. I think that’s true. I mean, God is pure love. Why would he condone rape and slavery?”

Yuuri was going to give his counter argument, but just at that moment, a golden retriever ran right into his path. Yuuri slammed on his brakes as fast as he could and instinctively jerked the steering wheel to the right, mounting the sidewalk and crashing into a telephone pole as he did so.

“Are you alright?” he immediately asked Yuuko.

She was sat with a horrified look on her face, not moving; as though she were a video on pause.

“Yuuko?” Yuuri said, trying to get his girlfriend’s attention. He reached out to shake her out of her trance, but  before he could move more than a couple of inches, a sharp pain shot down his back near his right shoulder blade.

Yuuri’s gasp of pain made Yuuko snap back to reality. “Yuuri! Are you alright, honey?”

“I think so,” Yuuri said, gently massaging his shoulder with his left hand. “I think I’ve got a bit of whiplash though, or maybe a pulled back muscle. You?”

“I’m OK. Nothing seems broken or hurt with me,” she said. “I’m going to see if the dog’s alright.” Yuuko then unbuckled her seatbelt and raced towards the dog’s owner; a tiny old woman in her 80s or 90s who looked severely shaken.

Yuuri gingerly pulled out his cell phone and called Triple A. They told him they were sending a tow-truck and advised him to get checked out at the nearest medical centre.

“How’s the dog?” Yuuri asked as Yuuko returned to the car.

“He seems to be fine,” she said. “The little old lady is actually the grandmother of his owner. She’s looking after him while her grandson is on vacation with his girlfriend. Apparently the dog’s a bit excitable and she lost her grip on his leash when he decided he wanted to chase the birds on the other side of the road. Did you call Triple A?”

“Yeah, they’re sending a tow-truck. Is it as bad as I think?”

“A little,” Yuuko grimaced. “The hood’s crumpled and there seems to be a leak underneath. I dunno if it’s just water or gasoline. But it’s definitely a job for your insurance company. How’s your neck?”

“Hurts a little when I move, I don’t think it’s too serious. I reckon it’s just a bit of whiplash or pulled a muscle in my back, like I said.”

“Do you need a bit of help getting out the car?”

Yuuri let out a huff of laughter. “It’s a Toyota Corolla, Yuuko. Not a Monster Truck. I think I’ll be fine.”

“Well, just be careful. I don’t want you hurting yourself any further.”

Thankfully, the nearest medical centre was only a five minute walk from where they crashed. Once the car was towed away, they made their way there.

The doctor asked a few questions, and performed an x-ray to make sure there were no broken bones, and concluded that Yuuri had just pulled a muscle near his shoulder blade. He recommended Yuuri take some over-the-counter pain medication such as Tylenol or Advil, and not do any strenuous activities for about a fortnight.

Yuuko had a small bruise on her right collar bone where her seatbelt locked when they crashed, the doctor also checked them both for concussions, but after a quick examination, determined that there was no major injuries to either of them , then gave them the all-clear to go home.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated in over a week. I've been busy applying for jobs, and going for interviews... It's been tiring AF >.<

Viktor paced his living room, glancing out his living room window every now and then to see if Yuuri was on his way.

He wanted to apologise to the younger man. Yuuri was clearly very confused about his sexuality, and pushing him to accept who he is wasn’t helpful to either of them. Viktor decided he was going to talk to Yuuri, and listen to what he had to say rather than force him to face truths he wasn’t ready for. Yuuri had grown up in a fairly homophobic environment, despite what Hiroko and Toshiya claimed to the contrary, and most likely repressed his attraction to men to please his family, whereas Viktor’s parents were very open-minded and he never felt like he had to hide who he was.

Viktor cared about Yuuri and didn’t want him to be stuck in a relationship he wasn’t happy with. If Yuuri was only dating Yuuko to mask his true self, then Viktor concluded it was his job to help save his two friends from ending up in a relationship, or possibly even marriage, that would inevitably make them both miserable.

Yuuri arrived at 7:20pm, wearing sweatpants and a plain grey t-shirt. He took his shoes off at the front door when Viktor invited him in, and took a seat on the couch as Viktor stood by the fireplace.

“So what was it you wanted to talk about?” Yuuri asked. His tone was neutral, and gave nothing away, but Viktor has a feeling that Yuuri knew what he wanted to discuss.

“Look,” Viktor sighed. “I know it’s a touchy subject for you, but can we _please_ talk about what’s going on with us without you getting all defensive that ends up with us arguing? I really don’t know where I stand with you.”

“Viktor, you know I can’t talk about this easily.” Yuuri said wearily.

“I know you can’t,” Viktor said quickly. “But even though you don’t want to, it’s a discussion we need to have. I want to know what’s going on in that head of yours. You say one thing, and then the next minute, you take it back. It’s like that Katy Perry song. You know, Hot and Cold?” When Yuuri stayed silent, Viktor pressed on, “I mean, just tell me the truth; have you or have you not had sex with a guy before? I’ve said it before, this is a judgement free zone, remember?”

Yuuri pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand and groaned. “Fine. Yes I have. Are you happy now?”

“Care to elaborate?”

“There’s nothing to elaborate,” Yuuri said quickly. “I was curious what it was like, so I did it. End of story.”

“Did you enjoy it?” Viktor asked, taking a seat on the armchair beside the Japanese man.

“It… it wasn’t completely terrible…” Yuuri mumbled.

“What about girls?”

“I tried…” Yuuri said, not looking at Viktor. “But…”

“But what?” Viktor gently pressed.

“The first time, I couldn’t… get it up.” He said as his cheeks turned slightly pink. “Then I slept with another guy, and had no problems. Then tried again with another girl, even though I got hard, it… it didn’t feel as good.”

“So you slept with a guy first, then a girl?” Viktor asked, to which Yuuri nodded. “How many…”

“Eleven in total; three girls, eight guys.” Yuuri interrupted, his voice strained. “Are you happy _now_? Now you know my biggest secret. I’m a fucking faggot.”

“Yuuri… are you… coming out to me?”

Yuuri gave a low humourless laugh. “Finally got what you wanted, didn’t you?”

It was then that Viktor realised that Yuuri was crying. Silent tears were running down his face as he stared at the empty fireplace.

“I’m gay, Viktor.” Yuuri whispered. “That’s the first time I’ve said it out loud. I am gay. I don’t _want_ to be gay.”

Viktor didn’t know what to say. This wasn’t how he was expecting this night to go. Something must’ve happened to Yuuri for him to finally be honest with him.

“Yuuri, why now?” Viktor asked slowly. “I mean, what made you decide to tell me now?”

“Because you asked…” Yuuri said, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand.

“I’ve asked you before and you’ve always denied it.”

“I was in a car accident this afternoon,” Yuuri said, and Viktor noticed the way he winced as he turned to look at Viktor. “A dog ran out in the middle of the road and I swerved to avoid it, and crashed the car.”

“Oh, my god Yuuri! Are you alright?” Viktor asked, a small amount of panic settling into his stomach.

“I’m fine, just pulled a muscle in my back. The dog’s alright as well, in case you were wondering. But just before the crash, Yuuko said something that I’d never thought about before. That maybe the bible’s not one hundred percent accurate. Her dad read about this theory that some passages in the bible were put there to test our morality. And… maybe the part about being a homosexual is one of them. But even if I’m wrong, I’m not going to deny who I am any longer and God can judge me when I get to the Pearly Gates. The crash really put things into perspective for me.”

“I’m proud of you, Yuuri.” Viktor said with a small smile.

“Obviously, I’m going to wait maybe a week or two before I tell my family. I don’t want to ruin my parent’s wedding anniversary by bringing this up. I’ll wait a while, then I’ll break-up with Yuuko and tell her the truth. And… I’m kinda scared about it.” Yuuri laughed nervously.

“Look, Yuuri. I know how your parents are, and if they kick you out, which we both know is a real possibility, you know I’ve got a spare room you can use.”

“Thanks, Viktor.” Yuuri smiled sadly. “Maybe when everything has settled, we can get a cup of coffee, or something?”

“Are you asking me on a date, Yuuri Katsuki?” Viktor grinned.

“If I was? What would your response be?”

“Well, I’ll have to check my calendar to see if I’m free, but I think we can make an arrangement,” Viktor said in a mock-serious tone, before leaning over and kissing Yuuri on the mouth.

As Yuuri moved to deepen the kiss, a sharp pain shot down is shoulder blade.

“Are you alright?” Viktor asked, a worried look on his face.

“Yeah. Just a pulled muscle from earlier.” Yuuri said, rubbing his shoulder. “It only hurts if I move a certain way.”

Then Viktor had an idea. He did a one-year course on sports medicine when he first moved to America, before he began working at the Katsuki’s catering company. And he read about the benefits massage had on strained muscles. Viktor happened to have a massage table tucked away in the spare room that he used to use on Chris when they were dating.

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” Yuuri conceded when Viktor told him what he was thinking.

Viktor then grabbed Yuuri by the hand and lead him upstairs.

The massage table was quickly unfolded and Yuuri stripped down to his underwear before laying on his front on the table.

With shaky hands, Viktor retrieved the massage oils from the basket beside the bed and poured the lavender scented bottle into his hands. He asked Yuuri where the pain was the worst, and Yuuri replied that it was by his right shoulder.

Yuuri hissed in pain when Viktor began massaging at his strained muscle.

“Sorry,” Viktor mumbled. “I know it hurts, but trust me. This should make you feel better. Do you want me to put some music on to take your mind off it?”

“Uh… yeah. Just put your phone on shuffle so I can mock your terrible taste.” Yuuri smirked.

“Hey, I have an impeccable music taste. What do you listen to? The Backstreet Boys?” Viktor retorted as he wiped the oil off his hands with a towel that seemed to materialise out of nowhere.

“Hey, Backstreet Boys are a classic 90s band, and only _old_ people use them as a go-to for terrible music.” Yuuri laughed. “If you wanted to truly insult me, you could’ve used Nickelback.”

“Never heard of them,” Viktor said as he flipped through his phone to his music.

“Lucky you,” said Yuuri with his eyebrows raised.

Viktor pressed ‘shuffle all’ on his music, and Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ started playing from the phone’s tinny speaker; making it sound like Freddy Mercury was singing from inside a soda can.

Viktor hummed along with the song as he kneaded at Yuuri’s flesh, earning gasps of pain from the younger man whenever Viktor pressed firmly on Yuuri’s sore muscle.

As the minutes ticked by, and every type of music came from Viktor’s phone; from Tchaikovsky to Black Sabbath, via Rihanna and the Hamilton Soundtrack, Yuuri’s pained protests eased off, and soon he was sighing in contentment.

“That’s you done,” Viktor said, bringing Yuuri out of his relaxed state. Yuuri sat up just as the baseline of Ben E. King’s ‘Stand By Me’ began sounding from the crappy speaker.

“Feel better now?” Viktor asked as he put the oils back in their basket.

“Yeah, actually.” Yuuri sounded surprised. “I can move my head a little more, my neck’s not so stiff.”

“Good,” the Russian said happily, turning back to his friend.

Laying eyes on Yuuri made Viktor’s heart stop, and plummet to his stomach. For one reason, and one reason alone; Yuuri had a very obvious hard-on, making his underwear tent at the front.

“But, I see something else is stiff…” Viktor said, his mouth suddenly losing all moisture.

Yuuri frowned, but followed Viktor’s eyeline. The younger man’s face tinged pink when he noticed the state he’d gotten himself into.

“I take it a happy-ending isn’t part of your service?”

Viktor was surprised at Yuuri’s sudden bluntness, the Russian’s eyes widening as Yuuri hopped off the table with a devilish smirk, and walked over to him before he began kissing Viktor passionately.

Viktor’s brain short-circuited at the sudden change in his boss. But it wasn’t a bad thing he concluded as he began kissing Yuuri back.

Yuuri pulled Viktor’s groin closer to his own, and the older man could feel Yuuri’s arousal press against his hip. The feeling awakened Viktor’s own excitement, and he felt himself begin to harden.

“Do you want to take this to your bedroom?” Yuuri whispered as they parted for air.

“We don’t have to do anything more if you don’t want to,” Viktor said. The last thing he wanted was to make Yuuri feel like he had no choice in the matter. “If you just want to make-out on the bed, I’m more than happy to do that.”

Yuuri kissed Viktor again. “No, I want more. I want to have sex with you tonight.”

“Are you sure?” Viktor’s heart was racing. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, he just hoped he wasn’t having the most vivid wet dream.

“Positive,” Yuuri replied with determination as he kissed Viktor again. “Let’s go.”

Yuuri took Viktor by the hand and led him across the hall to his bedroom…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated and give me motivation to continue writing :3


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know it's been a few weeks since I last updated, but I've been busy :3
> 
> I've finally got a job! :D less than 2 months out of uni, and I've already landed myself a job as a preschool teacher *does a happy dance*

Yuuri awoke from a dreamless sleep the most comfortable he had been in ages. The bed was warm, but not too warm, and the mattress was soft and yielding. It felt like he was being spooned by a cloud. Yuuri wasn’t sure what time it was, but judging by the twittering of the birds outside, he would guess somewhere between 6-8am. It didn’t matter though, as the company was shut for the day for the Katsuki’s wedding anniversary.

A sudden loud bang yanked Yuuri out of his relaxed musings, and he sat bolt upright, squinting his eyes around the barely-lit room.

“It’s just the garbage collection, lie back down,” Viktor mumbled pulling Yuuri back down.

That was when Yuuri realised that he was naked and Viktor had had his arm draped around his waist the whole time, and the memories of what happened last night came flooding back to Yuuri in full technicolour and surround sound.

Yuuri remembered the way he lead Viktor to the bedroom, where they kissed  on the bed for what felt like an hour. How Viktor caressed Yuuri’s body as the younger man lay down, pulling the Russian on top of him. Yuuri remembered how he and Viktor slowly shed their clothing (or underwear in Yuuri’s case), and the way Viktor made him feel so good as he rode Yuuri like a damn cowboy.

Yuuri’s eyes flickered to the nightstand beside him where he noticed a bottle of lube and, not one, but _three_ used condoms. His heartrate picked up, it had all seemed like a good idea while Viktor was touching and kissing him all over, but now in the harsh light of day, Yuuri wished he could go back in time and punch Past Yuuri to stop him from making such a terrible mistake.

Once again, he had let temptation get the better of him, and gave in without thinking of the consequences.

He rolled over to face Viktor, who had switched on his bedside lamp, was shocked to see the number of hickies he had left on Viktor’s neck and chest.

“I really enjoyed last night,” Viktor said fondly, cupping Yuuri’s cheek. “And _holy crap_ , you have some serious stamina!”

Yuuri blushed at the praise. “Thanks,” he said. “You were really good too.”

“My ass is killing me!” Viktor laughed as Yuuri’s cheeks reddened even further. “But it’s a good pain. I suppose that’s what happens when you go five rounds with a man who can outlast every single one of your exes put together.”

“Bit of an exaggeration,” Yuuri smirked, but couldn’t help the small spark of pride ignite inside himself. “But… uh… yeah. It was nice…”

“Nice is an understatement!” Viktor exclaimed excitedly. “I mean, there were moves there that I’ve never even heard of! What was that one where I was in a crab and you were fucking me from underneath?”

“It’s called Fusion, or sometimes the Double Crab,” Yuuri mumbled. “I read about it in the Kama Sutra.”

“So you don’t regret it?” Viktor asked seriously stroking his hand down to Yuuri’s bare chest.

“I… I don’t know…” Yuuri said hesitantly. Upon seeing Viktor’s disappointed expression, he clarified; “I just mean the timing. The sex itself was great, but it doesn’t take away the fact that I cheated on Yuuko… again. I should’ve waited until we’d broken up before we slept together.”

“Well, it’s probably best we not tell her.” Viktor said, with a note of sadness in his voice. “She’s my friend, and I care about her so much. I don’t want to ruin our friendship with her finding out I had sex with her boyfriend.”

“Good plan,” Yuuri sighed. “That’s why I think after Yuuko and I break up, me and you should wait while before announcing that we’re together. Because if I start dating almost immediately after, then it’d look suspicious don’t you think?”

“Agreed.” Viktor said, before pressing his lips against Yuuri’s.

Yuuri stood up from the bed, Viktor shooting him a questioning look as he did so. “I need to pee.” Yuuri explained, and Viktor’s face immediately relaxed.

“Before you do, can you put your condoms in here?” Viktor asked, pulling up a small metal trash can from his side of the bed.

Yuuri complied with his lover’s request and dropped the used condoms on top of the two already in the bin and headed to the bathroom.

After relieving himself, Yuuri found himself thinking back to the previous night as he washed his hands. Yuuri hadn’t had sex in almost four months, and he hadn’t realised how pent-up he was. But now that his head was clear from the months of sexual frustration, he was still not sure about where he would go from here. The thought of coming out to his family filled his stomach with dread. He was sure Yuuko would understand when he told her why they had to break up… eventually.

Although Yuuko was more open minded about these sorts of things, images of her looking disgusted with Yuuri filled his head. He couldn’t help imagining her calling him sick, and lamenting her time with him.

“ _I can’t believe I wasted my life on dating a faggot!_ ” imaginary-Yuuko spat. “ _I can’t believe how stupid I was to think we’d be married. Well, it’s good because at least now I don’t have to pretend I love you anymore._ ”

Yuuko then morphed into his mother, crying her eyes out. “ _Where did I go wrong?_ ” she cried. “ _I thought I raised my children well. How did the Devil manage to infect my sweet little boy?_ ”

Yuuri splashed his face with cold water, and shook his head violently to rid his mind of those intrusive thoughts. The pain in his shoulder had reduced significantly over-night. Viktor’s massage and the memory foam mattress must’ve helped in easing the discomfort. Now that he was thinking clearly, he came to the conclusion that last night was a by-product of shock from the crash.

Yuuri wasn’t gay, he had only slept with Viktor because he needed release and he must’ve had a mild concussion that the doctor missed during his visit which threw all his rational thinking out of the window. This morning’s conversation was due to having just woken up and the after-effects of going to sleep with a concussion.

Yuuri wasn’t lying about anything he told Viktor the night before, but _everyone_ experiments at college. And just because he _happened_ to have slept with more males than females didn’t mean anything. It just meant that… well… the opportunities to have sex weren’t equal. There were more guys willing to have sex than girls, that’s all…

Yuuri returned to the spare bedroom to retrieve his clothes, and went back to Viktor’s room for his underwear.

Viktor’s face fell when he saw Yuuri carrying his clothing into the bedroom. “I was hoping we’d have another round before you left,” Viktor said dejectedly.

“As fun as that sounds, Viktor, I need to go help my family set up for the party tonight,” Yuuri said as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. “I’ll see you tonight though, yeah?”

“Yes, of course,” Viktor replied with a happy little smile. “Can I get a kiss before you go?”

Yuuri leaned down as he fastened his belt and captured Viktor’s lips in a chaste kiss. The warmth that always accompanied kissing Viktor spread throughout Yuuri’s body until he regretfully pulled away and said goodbye to Viktor.

As Yuuri left the house, he realised what he had to do next. And he needed to do it tonight, or he never would…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love reading comments (as long as they're not mean :p), because I'm insecure and need validation haha >.< xx


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this? An update? You mean this fic's not been abandoned? Yes! I've got a full-time job now as a pre-school teacher (36 hours a week, 9 hour shifts) and most days I've been too exhausted to eat, never mind write :3 But I have finally found the energy to update! Huzzah's are in order! HUZZAH!

Viktor couldn’t help the feeling of disappointment he felt as he heard Yuuri close the front door. Of course he thought they could enjoy some more alone time before Yuuri had to leave, but he wasn’t so selfish as to keep Yuuri from his responsibilities, and he shouldn’t expect Yuuri to prioritise him over other things in his life. They weren’t dating after all; at least, not officially, not yet.

Viktor stretched before heading to the bathroom. He needed to shower, and although the dinner party wasn’t for another eleven hours, Viktor didn’t want to have to do it last minute.

When entering the bathroom, Viktor couldn’t stop himself from admiring the work Yuuri did on his neck and chest. Bite marks and hickies adorned his pale skin, Yuuri’s teeth marks left a deep imprint around his left nipple, and Viktor fondly traced over it with his fingers. There was no way he’d be able to cover all the love-bites for later, he’d just have to make sure that Yuuri wouldn’t be so rough next time… not that Viktor didn’t enjoy it, it was one of the best nights of his life, but if they were to keep their relationship on the down-low, then they’d have to restrain themselves or else risk being exposed before Yuuri was ready.

The shower was warm and soothing. The soapy water cascaded down Viktor’s torso as he cleaned the dried sweat and semen off himself; he and Yuuri had been too exhausted from their activities to clean up afterwards.

His eyes fell closed as he applied his ridiculously expensive shampoo to his hair, his traitorous mind wandering back to the previous night. Yuuri’s moans filled the room as he took Viktor roughly on top of the covers. The slapping of skin-against-skin joining their chorus of a pleasured melody. The Russian’s prostate being stimulated over and over as Yuuri sucked another hickey near Viktor’s jugular. When Viktor came, he dragged his perfectly manicured fingernails down his lover’s back; not hard enough to break the skin, but enough for red lines to appear down Yuuri’s tanned back for several minutes.

As the shampoo washed down the drain, Viktor realised his reminiscing had had an obvious effect on his body. Thankfully he was alone and could take care of it immediately while thinking more of his night of passion.

Once he had washed, masturbated, and dressed, Viktor found himself with nothing to do until 7pm, so he planned on heading to the local ice rink to burn off some excess energy. But his plan was thwarted when a loud banging came from his front door.

“Oi! Viktor! Open your fucking door!” Shouted an angry voice in Russian. “I know you’re home, old man!”

Viktor opened the door to be met with a skinny blonde teenage boy in black skinny jeans and leopard-print high tops.

“Fucking finally!” Yurio sighed, dragging his suitcase inside. “Where the fuck were you?! The plane landed at 6! I waited for you for two hours. Why the fuck didn’t you answer your phone?!”

Oh, shit! Viktor completely forgot that he agreed to have his step-brother stay with him for the whole of his summer break from school. Two and a half months with the perpetually angry Yuri Plisetsky. What fun.

“Sorry, Yuri. I slept in.” Viktor said weakly.

“Slept... slept in?! You never sleep in!” Yurio glowered. “How could you…” Yurio suddenly stopped, his eyes flickering to the marks on Viktor’s neck. “Gross!” He spat. “You didn’t pick me up from the airport because you were fucking someone, weren’t you?!”

“Guilty,” Viktor laughed sheepishly. “Please don’t tell Dad that I forgot to pick you up.”

“Fine, but you owe me.” Yurio sighed.

Viktor relaxed a little. He loved his father, he was loving and affectionate, but when he was angry, he was downright terrifying, he was also pretty homophobic. Alexei Nikiforov was not very understanding when Viktor came out as gay. He thought it was something that could be cured through intense exercise and physical labour. When it hadn’t worked, he almost disowned Viktor, until his son caught him in bed with Yurio’s mother.

Alexei and Viktor’s mother divorced soon afterwards, and Alexei moved in with Elena Plisetsky; a widow with a seven year old son (Yurio) and they married a few months after the Nikiforov’s divorce was finalised.

“I was just heading to the ice rink if you wanted to join me?” Viktor offered. “Unless you’re too tired from your long flight?”

“No, I could use the practice.” Yurio said as he opened his suitcase, rooting for his skates.

Yurio was lucky, unlike Viktor’s family, his mother had enough money from Yuri Senior’s life insurance policy so that she could pay for her son to train professionally under world renowned figure skating coach Yakov Feltsman. Yurio was well on his way to becoming one of the world’s best skaters, having recently won gold at the Junior World Championships, and would be making his senior debut in the coming season.

Viktor was proud of his step-brother, he really was. But a part of him couldn’t help be a little envious of the opportunities Yurio had that he didn’t. Not to say Yurio didn’t deserve it, of course, but Viktor would’ve given anything to have had the same chance at going professional.

~

“Have you decided on your theme for you senior debut?” Viktor asked Yurio as the two ate lunch after a three hour practice.

“Yeah, it’s ‘abandoned’. I’ve got my routine all figured out; I’m going to be dressed in my normal clothes, and I’m going to be sitting on a bench in the middle of the rink for two hours waiting for my shitty brother to pick me up from the airport.”

“I said I was sorry!” Viktor exclaimed. “Can’t you just let it go?”

“No.”

Viktor sighed exasperatedly. That was the thing about Yurio; if grudge-holding was an Olympic sport, the younger Russian would’ve been a multiple gold medallist. Viktor could tell that Yurio would keep bringing up the whole airport debacle for the entirety of his stay in California.

“Before I forget to tell you; I’ve got a dinner at seven, so will you be alright on your own for a few hours?”

“For fuck’s sake, Viktor! I’m fifteen!” Yurio shouted, rolling his eyes. “I’m practically an adult!”

“I know, but you’ve never been here before. Are you going to be okay in an unfamiliar house for about five hours?”

“Yes, Viktor. I’ll be fine.” Yurio said through gritted teeth. “I’ll probably just hit the hay pretty early anyway.”

“Alright. Well, if anything happens, I’ll leave you the number for the restaurant so you can contact me – ”

“You know, there are these magical devices called cell phones.” Yurio said sarcastically. “They work just like a normal phone, but I can call you at any time wherever you are in the world, and I don’t have to make niceties with some random Yank.”

Viktor just rolled his eyes. If he was going to get through the next six weeks with Yurio, he’d better start drinking… yesterday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dunno when the next update will be (maybe next week, maybe next month; it's anyone's guess tbh)


End file.
